In addition to the star-studded ATP Tour 500 tournament in Vienna, the 500 tournament starts in Basel at the same time. is top seed Andrey Rublevand also Stan Wawrinka will perform in front of the home crowd. We’ll introduce you to five things to keep an eye out for in Basel…
by Johanna Brauer
last edited: October 21, 2024, 1:34 p.m
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Ugo Humbert and qualifier Jermone Kym start the well-filled ATP Tour 500 tournament. Daniel Altmaier, who fought his way through qualification and meets Hamburg Open winner Arthur Fils, will follow. Andrey Rublev will end the day on Center Court. The match doesn’t start until 8:00 p.m.
Pressure on Andrey Rublev’s shoulders
Rublev makes his debut in Basel as the top seed. Nuno Borges is waiting for the Russian in the first round. A long tournament existence would be important for Rublev, because after reaching the final at the Canadian Open in August, the world number eight has always ended in the quarter-finals. Looking ahead to the upcoming Nitto ATP Finals in November, every win is crucial for the 27-year-old to qualify for the finals for the fifth time in a row.
Stan the Man returns home
Thanks to a wildcard, Swiss fans can also admire their home icon. Wawrinka played his best tournament of the entire season just last week in Stockholm and – tireless as we know him – wants to cause a sensation in Basel too. In addition to the Swiss, Dominik Stricker and Dennis Shapovalov also received a wildcard.
Back-to-back defending champion Felix Auger-Aliassime
The rising tennis star from Canada joined an elite list last year when he won his second consecutive Basel title. By the way, under the leadership of now ex-coach Toni Nadal. Only Roger Federer, Juan Martin del Potro, Stefan Edberg and Ivan Lendl had previously achieved this. The journey to win the third title in a row begins against Sebastian Baez.
Ruud, Tstsipas and more
In addition to the first seed, the tournament also features other top 10 players and young talents. Number two seed Casper Ruud, who is seventh in the live race, faces a difficult opening game against Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut, who won his 12th career title just yesterday. Number three seed Stefanos Tsitsipas is aiming for his second title of the year and begins his quest against Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo. Holger Rune starts against Nicolas Jarry. Ben Shelton, seeded number six, is bringing his strong serve to Basel for the first time. You should also have the self-confident Arthur Fils on your radar…
Star bid also in doubles
The fans also have a lot to offer in doubles. The top seeds in doubles are Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Mektic. The 2020 Nitto ATP Finals champions are ranked seventh in the PIF ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings and are looking to return to the season finale. Ben Shelton and Arthur Fils have joined forces to form the power duo. Multiple Grand Slam winner Kevin Kravietz serves together with Kazakh Aleksandr Nedovyesov.
Side fact: In 2019, Roger Federer won a title on the ATP tour in Basel for the last time in his career. It was his 103rd career title.
Here is the men’s individual tableau
Here is the men’s double tableau
